Microsoft has decided to drop the three-application limit it had planned for its entry-level Windows 7 Starter operating system, which is slated for introduction this fall.
Many netbook vendors intend to deploy Windows 7 Starter on the next round of mini-notebook products for price-conscious consumers. Microsoft said it had decided to drop its Windows 7 Starter app limit after receiving feedback from partners and customers asking for an entry-level OS that delivers a richer small notebook PC experience.
Windows 7 Starter customers therefore will have “the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the three-application limit that the previous starter editions included,” said Brandon LeBlanc, a spokesperson for the Microsoft Windows development team.
The 3G Netbook Option
LeBlanc said Microsoft believes the changes will make Windows 7 Starter an even more attractive option for customers who want a small notebook PC for performing very basic tasks, such as browsing the Web, checking e-mail and enhancing personal productivity. However, analysts note that some businesses also are beginning to deploy low-cost netbooks.
“Due to their small size and low price, PC vendors have begun to find some traction for mini-notebooks in the transportation, logistics, repair and servicing, manufacturing and health-care markets,” said Tracy Tsai, a senior research analyst at Gartner.
With many wireless operators now subsidizing the price of the netbooks running on their 3G infrastructures, some enterprises may want to consider netbooks running Windows 7 as a way to fulfill some enterprise functions that previously were the exclusive purview of smartphones, noted Shiv Bakhshi, an independent analyst covering mobile devices. “The beauty of netbooks is that as wireless networks provide more bandwidth, you can do a lot of stuff with them which users find a bit more limiting to conduct on smartphones,” he said.
When it comes…